Why searched URL returns no video?

[GlacialBlaze]

The following is part of my code for a Discord bot to play a video from Youtube.

def get_music(url):
    with YoutubeDL(YTDL_OPTIONS) as ydl:
        video = ydl.extract_info(url, download=False)['entries'][0]

I inputted a Youtube URL of the music I wanted, only to receive this error:

IndexError: list index out of range

I assume that 0 index as error means that there is no video in entries. What seems to be the problem?

[pukkandan]

You don't give the log or even the URL/options. Then how do you expect me to know what the issue is?

[pukkandan]

entries exist for playlists, not for individual videos

[pukkandan]

I see what's the issue. You must have been previously doing something like ydl.extract_info('search term'). In this case, the 'default_search': 'auto' converts it to ytsearch:search term (which is a playlist). However, when you pass a valid URL, it is processed as-is. If what you want is to always treat it as a search term, use ydl.extract_info('ytsearch:youtube.com/watch?v=_t0UQrRRTMY') instead

[GlacialBlaze]

1. I did not realize that entries is not for individual videos. I find this funny because months ago, if I'm not mistaken, the same exact code was working fine. It is only lately that this issue existed. Another reason is that if I key in a song name (which in Youtube turns out to be an individual video) it works.

2. Yes, I have been mixing between keying in URLs and search terms. For a channel bot, what should be the way such that the search can accommodate for URL and search term, because any user can at any time input any Youtube URL or search term?

[pukkandan]

1. It has always been this way. Searches are playlists. They have just one video in them because you are using auto. If you set it to ytsearch2 for example, it will return the first 2 results from youtube
2. See my above comment for how to treat even url as a search term

[GlacialBlaze]

Okay, thanks!